Spotlight on Iran (April 11-17, 2024)
On the night of April 14, 2024, the IRGC launched hundreds of UAVs and missiles, including ballistic missiles, at Israel in response to the attack near the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1, 2024, in which Hassan Mahdavi, the senior IRGC commander in Syria and Lebanon, was killed. After the attack, senior Iranian officials stressed that Iran was not interested in further escalation and threatened an even harsher and wider response in the event of an Israeli response against Iran. The Iranian president and foreign minister held a series of telephone consultations to prevent an Israeli response. Rahim Safavi, the senior military advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran, announced at a memorial ceremony for Hassan Mahdavi that a new Middle East, centered on Iran and the “resistance front,” would be created in the region against the plans and wishes of the United States and Israel. In Syria, precautionary measures were reportedly taken by the IRGC in eastern Syria for fear of airstrikes.On the eve of the Iranian attack on Israel, the Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria raised their alert. After the attack, Iraqi cities witnessed demonstrations of joy. This past week, the Houthis carried out four attacks against vessels in the Red Sea area.
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